Shoe form



June 28, 1966 F. P. DE WlTT ETAL 3,257,676

SHOE FORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 1, 1964 INVENTOR. FRANK P. DEWITT GEORGE A. KURTZ JR.

June 28, 1966 P. DE WlTT ETAL 3,257,676

SHOE FORM 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 1, 1964 u I 4 l w INVENTORS.FRANK P. DE WlTT GEORGE A. KURTZ JR. BY

United States Patent 3,257,676 SHUE FORNI Frank P. De Witt, Skaneateles,and George Albert Kurtz, In, Cayuga, N.Y., assignors to Shoe Form Co.,Inc., Auburn, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Sept. 1, 1964, Ser.No. 393,672. 3 Claims. (Cl. 12-128) This invention relates generally toshoe forms of the type that are inserted in shoes on display to preservetheir lasted shape and generally improve their appearance. Moreparticularly, the invention has reference to a novel construction for ashoe form.

The primary object of the invention is to provide a shoe form that ishighly versatile as to its application and, at the same time, isrelatively inexpensive to produce. Thus, the form contemplated by theinvention can be used advantageously with either high heeled or flatshoes and can also be used with soft soled shoes of the slipper Anotherimportant object of the invention is to provide a shoe form having aconstruction that is sufficiently flexible to permit .a form of a givensize to be used with more than one size or width of shoe.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide a shoeform that is so constructed that it does not destroy the natural toespring and heel spring of the shoe.

Still another important object of the invention is to provide abottomless, flexible shoe form having a return bottom fiange at the toeportion of its forepart to substantially eliminate the possibility ofhaving the form catch on the sock lining of a shoe.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will' become apparent fromthe following detailed description thereof, read in conjunction with theaccompanying drawings which illustrate a representative embodiment ofthe invention for the purpose of disclosure.

In the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan view of a shoe form embodying the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a side elevation of the form of FIG- URE 1 showing analternative position of thebackpart in broken lines;

FIGURE 3 is a bottom plan FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 4 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modifled construction ofthe shoe form;

FIGURE 5 is a fragmentary top plan view of the heel portion of the shoeform showing .an indicia bearing member applied thereto;

FIGURES 6 and 7 are top plan and side elevational views, respectively,of a mold backpart with various mold foreparts being shown in brokenlines to illustrate a feature of the molding method, the backpart beingshown in section in FIGURE 7; and

FIGURE 8 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along line 88of FIGURE 7.

Referring now to the drawings, wherein like reference numbers designatethe same part in each of the views, and with particular reference toFIGURES 1-3, reference number 10 generally designates a hollow shoe formcomprised of a forepart 12 and a backpart 14. The form Ill is made offlexible, resilient material which can be transparent or appropriatelycolored, various types of plastic materials being suit-able for thispurpose. As indicated in FIGURE 3, the form is made without a bottomwall although a return flange 16 is provided at the toe portion of theforepart, by means to be presently described, to substantially eliminatethe possibility of having the shoe form catch on the sock lining of ashoe as it is being withdrawn therefrom. The flange 16 is view of theform of 3,257,676 Patented June 28, 1966 also important in that itserves to strengthen the forepart of the shoe form.

The forepart 12 of the shoe form normally conforms to the last of theshoe with which the form will be used and includes a back wall 18 towhich the backpart 14 is connected, the backpart beingsubstantiallynarrower and lower than the forepart at the point of connection asshown. Adjacent the point of connection, the forepart is formed with aradius or rearwardly curved portion Ztl, and this radius and theflexible or elastic nature of the material of the form permit thebackpart to be swung upwardly relative to the forepart (as indicated at14 in FIGURE 2) without in any way damaging or stressing the form. Thisfeature of the invention enables the shoe form to be used in high heeledas well as fiat heeled shoes.

The backpart 14 of the shoe form has an inverted, substantially U-shapedcross section and increases in height at the heel portion thereof sothat its flat upper surface 22 in this area is substantially flush withthe upper edge of the heel portion of the shoe. Just below this surfacethe backpart can, if desired, be formed with an undercut or indentation24 to receive the heel strap of a shoe. In addition, the heel portion ofthe backpart may be formed with a plurality of ridges and grooves 26adjacent the lower edge to provide greater rigidity at this part of theform.

The particular configuration of the forepart back wall 18 and theinherent flexibility of the material permit limited variations in thesize of the shoe form 10. This advantageous characteristic is alsohelped by the fact that the form is bottomless and its backpart isconsiderably narrower than its forepart at their point of connection.Thus, if the forepart 12 is inwardly compressed at the ball or widestpart, alonger and narrower form will result as indicated by the brokenline 28 in FIG- URE 1. On the other hand, a rearward force on theforepart results in a shorter but slightly wider form as indicated bythe broken line 35). A form of a given size can, therefore, adapt itselfto minor variations in length and width, the difference in lengthbetween the lines 28 and as being equal to approximately one full size.

In FIGURE 4 a modified construction is shown wherein the backpart isformed in two sections 32, 34 which are hinged together as by pins 36 tofacilitate insertion of the form into certain types of shoes. FIGURE 4also illustrates how the form can be provided with a plurality ofdimples or inwardly extending projections 38 for securing anindiciabearing plate 40 in position beneath the upper flat surface 42. Plates40 normally bear the name or symbol of the manufacturer of the shoeswith which the shoe forms are used as indicated in FIGURE 5. Instead ofsnapping a separate indicia plate in position by means of the dimples38, the plate can be molded into the form during the manufacture, or apressure sensitive label (not shown) can simply be applied to the top ofthe surf-ace 42.

FIGURES 6 and 7 illustrate a novel method of manufacturing the abovedescribed shoe form using a male mold. In carrying out the method, amold backpart 44 is releasably secured in position on amounting board 46by means of locating pins 48. The backpart is adapted to betelescopically engaged at its forward end by a'forepart mold having asuitable channel or recess 5% for this purpose, see FIGURE 8. Asindicated, the forepart mold can be one of three common types known inthe trade as toe, half and three-quarter forms designated respectivelyas S2, 54 and 56 in FIGURES 6 and 7. Whichever type of forepart is usedfor the mold, it can be dimensioned to conform to a' particularmanufacturers last so that this portion of the resultant shoe form willhave a custom fit with the manufacturers shoes. The mold backpart 44 isnormally the same for each mold but its size and shape can, of course,be varied if desired. Length adjustment can be taken care of byadjusting the position of the forepart on the backpart as will beapparent.

After the mold has been set up, the shoe forms are produced from aplurality of clear or colored plastic sheets which are heated to apliant state and then vacuum drawn into close engagement with the mold.The methods of heating and the application of the vacuum are well knownin the art and need not be described in detail. Likewise, the vacuumconnections to the mounting board 46 are not shown although FIGURE 7schematically illustrates internal vacuum passages 58 in the backpartwhich cause the pliant plastic to be drawn inwardly to form the undercut24 and grooves 26. The connection between passages 58 and the vacuumpump is not shown.

As best shown in FIGURE 7, the foremost point or toe portion of eachforepart 52, 54 and 56 is raised slightly above the plane of themounting board 46 because shoes are made in this manner as is well knownin the art. In addition, and in accord with the present invention, thetoe portion of each forepart is undercut as indicated at 69, the heatedplastic material being drawn into this area by interior vacuum passages62, FIGURE 6, which operate in the same manner as the passages 58. Theundercut 60 results in the formation at 64 of the return flange 16previously described in connection with FIGURES 1-3. After its removalfrom the mold, the shoe form is cut along the non-horizontal line 66which results in the slightly raised toe portion noted above.

To remove the molded shoe form from its mold, the vacuum is shut off andthe form and mold parts are lifted together from the locating pins 48.This permits the forward end 63 of the mold backpart to drop out of therecess 59 in the forepart and be removed from the form by means of aforward and downward motion. Thereafter, the forepart can be easilyremoved from the form by means of a rearward and downward motion, andthe cutting on the line 66 can then take place. I

The shoe form of the invention can also be produced in a cavity orfemale mold, or it can be produced by means of coacting male and femalemolds. The male mold and method described, however, lend themselves tolow cost semi-automatic production and have many advantages, the mostimportant of which is the ease with which the mold or a portion thereofcan be changed. Obviously, a plurality of molds can be mounted on themounting board so that a plurality of shoe forms are simultaneouslyproduced from .a single sheet of plastic.

From the foregoing description it will be apparent that the inventionprovides a novel and very versatile shoe form and method of manufacture.As will be understood by those familiar with the art, the invention canbe embodied in other specific forms without departing from the spirit oressential characteristics thereof. The embodiment disclosed is thereforeto be considered in all respects as illustrative rather thanrestrictive, the scope of the invention being indicated by the appendedclaims.

What is claimed is:

1. A molded shoe form of flexible resilient material comprising a hollowbottomless forepart having a transversely disposed back wall, and ahollow bottomless backpart connected at its forward end to said backwall, said backpart being substantially narrower and lower than saidforepart at the point of connection, said transversely disposed forepartback wall being formed with a radius adjacent the point of connection tofacilitate upward bending of the backpart relative to the forepart toenable the form to be used in a high heeled shoe.

2. A shoe form as defined in claim 1 wherein said forepart is formedwith a return bottom flange at the toe portion thereof to strengthen theform and prevent it from catching on the sock lining of the shoe.

3. A molded shoe form of flexible resilient material comprising a hollowforepart having a substantially fiat back wall, and a hollow backpartconnected at its forward end to said back wall, said backpart having aninverted U-shaped cross section and being substantially narrower andlower than said forepart at the point of connection, said forepart backwall being formed with a rearwardly curving portion adjacent its pointof connection with said backpart to facilitate upward bending of thebackpart relative to the forepart to enable the form to be used in ahigh heeled shoe, said forepart being compressible laterally to permitlimited Width and length variations in the form.

4. A shoe form as defined in claim 3 wherein said forepart is formedwith a return bottom flange at the toe portion thereof to prevent theform from catching on the sock lining of the shoe.

5. A shoe form as defined in claim 3 wherein said backpart increases inheight at the heel portion thereof so that the upper surface of the heelportion is substantially flush with the upper edge of the heel portionof the shoe.

6. A shoe form as defined in claim 5 wherein said backpart is formed intwo parts hingedly connected together to facilitate insertion of theform into a shoe.

7. A shoe form as defined in claim 5 wherein said backpart is formedwith an undercut portion in the rear wall of the heel portion thereoffor engagement with the heel strap of a shoe.

8. A shoe form as defined in claim 5 wherein said backpart includesmeans for securing an indicia bearing member adjacent the upper surfaceof its heel portion.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 643,805 2/1900Tyler 12-128 805,379 11/1905 Niles 12-128 1,115,320 10/1914 Legge 12-1282,026,620 1/1936 Finn 12-146 2,224,196 12/1940 Peterson 12-146 2,460,4052/1949 Abrams et al. 12-128 3,077,621 2/1963 McGinnity 12-128 3,137,8756/1964 Bingham 12-128 3,168,753 2/1965 Baas 12-128 X FOREIGN PATENTS611,773 10/1960 Italy.

FRANK J. COHEN, Primary Examiner. JORDAN FRANKLIN, Examiner. P. D.LAWSON, Assistant Examiner.

1. A MOLDED SHOE FORM OF FLEXIBLE RESILIENT MATERIAL COMPRISING A HOLLOWBOTTOMLESS FOREPART HAVING A TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED BACK WALL, AND AHOLLOW BOTTOMLESS BACKPART CONNECTED AT ITS FORWARD END TO SAID BACKWALL, SAID BACKPART BEING SUBSTANTIALLY NARROWER AND LOWER THAN SAIDFOREPART AT THE POINT OF CONNECTION, SAID TRANSVERSELY DISPOSED FOREPARTBACK WALL BEING FORMED WITH A RADIUS ADJACENT THE POINT OF CONNECTION TOFACILITATE UPWARD BENDING OF THE BACKPART RELATIVE TO THE FOREPART TOENABLE THE FORM TO BE USED IN A HIGH HEELED SHOE.